US does not want to sell F-35 to Türkiye because of S-400 deal with Russia?
A group of US senators have proposed a bill to block the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, in what appears to be a response in part to Ankara's decision to buy Russia's S-400 air defense system.
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| US F-35 aircraft. Photo: Sputnik |
According toSputnikA bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced a bill in the US Senate to block the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye over Ankara's detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson on charges of involvement in a failed coup attempt in 2016.
Republican Senators James Lankford and Thom Hill and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen filed the bill on April 26.
Ankara had previously pledged to purchase 116 F-35A fighter jets under the US-led Joint Strike Fighter (JSK) project.
Senator Lankford said that Ankara’s strategic decisions are increasingly inconsistent and even counter to US interests. Therefore, transferring sensitive and advanced F-35 technology to Turkey could be considered a dangerous move.
“In addition, Türkiye is moving closer to Russia while it is holding innocent citizen Andrew Brunson as a pawn in political negotiations,” Lankford said, stressing that Ankara’s increased geopolitical cooperation with Russia and its decision to order Moscow’s S-400 air defense system could have a complicated impact on the US’s F-35 delivery process.
Previously, US Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell said that the Ankara government's purchase of Russia's S-400 could negatively affect the US's provision of F-35s to this country.
During a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May 2017, US President Donald Trump demanded that Ankara release Mr Brunson. In September 2017, Türkiye said that if the US wanted Ankara to release the pastor, it would have to hand over Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of being behind the 2016 coup. Both Mr Gulen and Brunson have denied Ankara's accusations.
In addition, the US has warned Türkiye that purchasing the S-400 from Russia could put Ankara under sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) passed last year.
This is a law that allows the US to impose sanctions on the Russian defense industry, as well as against countries that buy Russian weapons. However, President Erdogan still confirmed Ankara's determination to buy the S-400 despite the sanctions.
